Kadabra first appeared as an Abra in Abra and the Psychic Showdown. Sabrina used it in a gym battle against Ash. During the battle with Ash's Pikachu, Abra evolved to Kadabra and with its Template:Type2 attacks, it eventually caused Ash to forfeit the match to save Pikachu from being hurt anymore. It was shown that Sabrina and Kadabra share a strong psychic bond.

Ash later returned for a rematch in Haunter Versus Kadabra. This time, Ash's Haunter made Sabrina laugh for the first time in years, which caused Kadabra to laugh due to the psychic bond it has with Sabrina. Due to this Sabrina decided to give the Marsh Badge to Ash.